Prayer & Spirituality

The Anglican and Methodist Church of St Andrew

Prayer is at the heart of St Andrew’s Church Paddock Wood. Prayer takes many forms; it can be private and personal, or it can be something you share in, informally in a small group or more formally during a service.

Christian Spirituality is the on-going quest for achieving and sustaining a relationship with God, through private devotions and public worship. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives life to our spirits and encompasses the whole person; body, mind and soul. It is expressed in our attitudes, lifestyle and actions. Prayer is fundamental to developing a relationship with God.

We encourage people to pray for each other and sometimes we find it helpful for others to pray with us, or for us. If you would like someone to pray for you then please complete the form below and we will commit to pray for you and your situation. If you wish to remain anonymous, please use ‘anon’ for name fields and ‘[email protected]’ as an email address. FORM TO GO ON THIS PAGE

Personal Prayer

You can pray anytime and anywhere and God will hear you.

The following headings may be helpful if you don’t know where to start. No special words are needed, just speak you mind, that is what God wants:

Loving God, …

I am so sorry……

Please help……

I don’t know what to do……

Thank you so much for……

How can this happen? I feel……

Allow time to be quiet and sit in God’s presence, in companionable silence.

If you cannot find the words to pray then light a candle as a sign that you want to God to light your way forward. It is sometimes helpful to read the poetry of the bible, called The Psalms.

Jesus’ disciples asked him how they should pray and he gave them what we call The Lord’s Prayer. You could also use this as an outline.

Our Father, in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sins against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever.

Amen.

Praying with Others

St Andrew’s Church have many small groups who meet specifically for prayer. These groups meet either in their homes or in one of the church rooms. Please ask one of the ministers or a church member if you are interested in joining one of these groups.

During the week, Parish Prayer takes place at 9:00am every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, for 30mins. We read read from the bible and pray for the world, the life of the church and the community in Paddock Wood. You are welcome to join this short service and we would be happy to include your prayers and thoughts.

Prayer at Church Services

At our regular services and on special occasions, we will pray more formally for the world, the life of the church and the community in Paddock Wood. These prayers can appear in the service sheet under different headings, for example:

Intercessions – Prayers said on behalf of others

The Collect – A special prayer for the week, said in churches around the country.

Blessing – A prayer that asks for God’s favour

We have a prayer ministry team who can support you and pray with you during services, when it is a Holy Communion service or afterwards. This takes place in the Prayer Space.

Prayer Space

Church buildings have often been called “a house of prayer” where we can come to meet with God. In St Andrew’s Church there is a space set aside for reflection and prayer, away from the busyness and stresses of everyday life. You are very welcome to come in at any time, when the building is open, to sit in the Prayer Space. You can sit and just be quiet or pour out your heart before God. You may wish to light a candle or hold cross as you pray.

Prayer Visiting

We have a team of people who visit people at home to ask if they have concerns or situations that they would like us to pray for. If you receive a card through your door, then your road will be visited soon. These prayer requests can be included in our prayers during the morning service and at Parish Prayer during the week.

Spiritual Direction

Spirituality is about our relationship with God on our journey through life and how we can deepen that relationship. There are many ways that we to go deeper with God.

The Diocese of Rochester offers the possibility of having someone to guide you on your prayer journey with God. For more information then speak to one of the ministers or contact the Anglican Adviser for Spirituality for Rochester Diocese, Rev Canon Susanne Carlsson at [email protected] or [email protected].

Links

Busyness is an inevitable part of everyday life. Whilst there is nothing wrong with being busy, it does need to be balanced with stillness and reflection, so that we can recharge our batteries and assess our priorities.

The following websites are designed to help us regain the balance and to put ourselves in contact with God and our faith. So that whether at home or away, we have some resources to use so that we can keep in touch with God.